Long Beach Motorama Oct. 1, 2011

Long Beach Motorama Oct. 1, 2011 By

noderel:

Oct. 1, 2, 2011
Long Beach, CA
Story and Photographs by
Roger Rohrdanz

The Long Beach Motorama is actually a revival of the Renegades car club shows that were produced from 1958 through 1961 in Long Beach. Cars shows in the 50’s and 60’s were different then, mainly because of the cars young people drove during that era. The only cars considered for car shows were customs. Hot rods were raced on the dry lakes and at drag strips. They were “rough”, purpose-built machines for racing. So, with few exceptions, the only cars at early car shows were customs. This first Long Beach Motorama takes you back to that era. The “Kings” of that time were Ed Roth, Sam Barris, George Barris, Bill Hines, Dean Jefferies, Larry Watson, and Gene Winfield, just to name a few. The “Wall of Legends” is one of the highlights of this event. It is a display of 25 of America’s first generation of customizers. These plaques include a full scale glass casting of each Legend’s hand holding something that reflects the expertise each Legend is recognized for.

The new version of the Renegades Motorama took place at the Long Beach Convention Center on October 1,2, 2011. The event was produced by Keen Productions and Trace Edwards, a partner in Keen Productions. Inside the Arena were over 100 beautiful, pre-’64, Kustoms (spelled with a “K”), including several international entries. A nice showing of motorcycles were in a side hall. The feel of nostalgia and the past were present everywhere. This year the Diamond Cup Championship was added; a perpetual based trophy specifically created for the coach builder and owner. The DCC is an open category award with a 1969 cut-off year. The winner takes home a platinum metal cup with a $5000 cash prize.

The lobby had the “Roth” cars all together, the amazing “Wall of Legends”, the awards, and many more displays. Outside, on the grass around the Rainbow Lagoon, was another eclectic array of 150+ pre ’69 cars. Just outside the arena was the Horsepower Corral. This area was for our classic dragsters to fire-up and “Cackle”.